


Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe Musician, F/M, Guitarist Derek, M/M, Singer Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-28
Updated: 2016-02-03
Packaged: 2018-05-16 22:11:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5842891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started with a cover.  Well, maybe it didn’t start there, but that was the turning point for Hearts of Darkness.  Since 2010 Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall and Isaac Lahey have taken the music world by storm with what they call ukelele screamo.  The three men all hail from Beacon Hills, California, a place that all three of them are still incredibly loyal.</p><p> </p><p>May 22, 2015 - it's called ukulele screamo and its art - Tyler Joseph</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I just can't get the idea of Stiles, Scott, and Isaac as a totally awesome, but dorky band out of my head and then this happened. 
> 
> Also the rating on this maaaay go up. 
> 
> As always, not beta read.

_It all started with a[cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRXO9R0vAhM).Well, maybe it didn’t start there, but that was the turning point for Hearts of Darkness.Since 2010 Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall and Isaac Lahey have taken the music world by storm with what they call ukelele screamo.The three men all hail from Beacon Hills, California, a place that all three of them are still incredibly loyal._

_Hearts of Darkness started like a lot of bands do in this day and age, on YouTube.We were lucky enough to catch them before they head out on their second world tour that starts in San Fransisco next month.The guys of Hearts of Darkness are the opposite of what their name suggests and they haven’t let their new found fame change them.I sat down with them back in 2011 after their first album was released and they haven’t changed much since that day._

**_RS:_ ** _So you guys are pretty huge these days, this is your second world tour, did you ever expect this when you started out?_  
**_IL_ ** _: Fuck no man, we were just dicking around in McCall’s garage after lacrosse one day and suddenly we were making beautiful music._  
**_SM_ ** _: Dude, it totally wasn’t beautiful, it was garbage._  
**_SS_** _: Hey! I thought it was alright._ Okay, that’s bullshit, it was garbage, we tried so _hard to sound like Blink 182 for a while there._  
**_SM_ ** _: To answer the question, we didn’t think we would go anywhere, I was all set to go to UC Davis when these two dragged my ass to New York for a meeting with the guys from Fueled By Ramen.  
_ **_SS_ ** _: And the rest is history._

**_RS_ ** _: Actually, I think we’re trying to write your history here today._ So you didn’t expect the fame when you went into that first meeting?  
**_IL_ ** _: Nah, we weren’t even expecting a record deal, we kind of thought it was a prank some kids from high school were playing on us._  
**_SS_ ** _: Dude, I forgot about that._ I totally thought it was Jackson and Danny.  
**_SM_ ** _: And you still dragged me to the meeting? Dudes, not cool, what if it had been?  
_ **_SS_ ** _: Then you would have missed your first week of classes and had a kick ass trip to the big city._

**_RS_** _: Well, it clearly wasn’t a prank since by that same time in 2010 you were opening for Fall Out Boy.But we all know that story, I’m interested in the origins of Hearts of Darkness._ How long have you three been friends?  
**_SS_** _: Literally forever._  
**_SM_** _: It’s a very_ _Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants_ _story, our mom’s were all in the same pregnancy water aerobics class._  
**_IL_** _: We’ve been a trio since birth, no one can break us apart._  
**_SS_** _: Except our dad’s didn’t get along very well, they tried to break us apart._  
**_SM_** _: That’s because you two are a terrible influence on me._  
**_IL_** _: I resent that._ We’re the Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants Scott, we’re a great influence on you.  
**_SS_** _: I vote we change the name of the band to Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants_  
**_IL_** _: We’ll have to find pants that fit all of us first.  
_**_SM_** _: We have a pair like that already, they were my sweat pants, but then Stiles stole them and then you stole them from Stiles._ It’s been a vicious cycle, I think Stiles has them again. 

**_RS_ ** _: So you’ve been friends forever, where did the name come from? You guys don’t seem like the dark and broody types._ I think Brotherhood of the Traveling Pants would be fitting for your group, it’s lighter than Hearts of Darkness.  
**** _IL & SS laugh into each other’s shoulders while SM turns red_  
**_SS_ ** _: Scotty here fancied himself a dark and broody poet after his high school girlfriend broke up with him._  
**_SM_ ** _: The name is basically the title of Joseph Conrad’s_ _Heart of Darkness_ _, we read it junior year of high school._  
**_IL_ ** _: Yeah,but mostly we went with the broody name since Scott started wearing eyeliner and writing sad poetry.  
_ **_SM_ ** _: Don’t act like you didn’t wear eyeliner too Lahey._

**_RS_ ** _: Last question, this one isn’t really about the band._ Are any of you dating, is there any hot gossip we should know?  
**_SS_ ** _: You both owe me 100 dollars_  
**_RS_ ** _: Why do they owe you money?_  
**_SM_ ** _: I bet him you wouldn’t ask about our relationship statues._  
**_IL_ ** _: I bet it was going to be the first question_  
**_SS_ ** _: I figured you’d ask it last._  
**_RS_ ** _: Am I that predicable? Don’t answer that, answer the original question._  
**_SM_ ** _: I mean everyone knows I’m engaged to Kira Yukimura, bad ass actress and all around perfect human._  
**_IL_ ** _: I’m single._  
**_SS_ ** _: I'm married to the music_  
**_RS_ ** _: Looking for anyone special?_  
**_IL_ ** _: I wouldn’t mind a nice lady to come home to but I’m not out there looking, I’m so busy it’s hard to get out there._  
**S** **_S_ ** _: I really am married to my music._ Music is my mistress.Guys that would be a good name for a song.  
**_RS_ ** _: Come on Stiles, you don’t want a special lady to come home to?_  
**_SS_ ** _: Lady, Gentleman, I don’t discriminate._ But honestly, we’re so damn busy on tour and making music I don’t know how I’d make time for a relationship at this point in my life.We’re not all as lucky as Scott.  
**_SM_ ** _: Be nice or I’m retracting your title of co-best man_  
**_SS_ ** _: You wouldn’t.  
_ **_SM_ ** _: Try me._

_Hanging out with Hearts of Darkness is kind of like being in a college dorm room with three best friends, they joke around with each other, they eat junk food and they play a ton of video games.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a group of musicians who get along as well as they do, I expect great things from the boys of HoD._  
**_-_ Rolling Stone, July 2015  
**   


**August 2015**

“I honestly don’t know why anyone wants to interview you,” Lydia Martin said, she sat at the kitchen table of their tour bus drumming her fingers on the surface, a copy of the July Rolling Stone in front of her.“You guys are boring, there’s never anything juicy in the articles.”

“We’re not a boy band with drama Lyds,” Stiles said from his spot on the couch. He was sandwiched between Scott and Isaac, a controller in his hand as they played Mario Cart. “Plus, as our manager aren’t you supposed to be happy that we aren’t dramatic?”  
  
“I honestly thought that you guys would be at each others throats and the best buds thing was just an act.” Lydia said, pulling out her iPhone and checking her emails.She had been their manager since they signed with Fueled by Ramen, they were her first big act and had since had to turn down a few bands just to keep up with the busy schedule of HoD. 

“Where’s the first stop?” Scott asked, he had set his controller down and pulled out his phone, probably to text Kira. 

“San Francisco.” Lydia responded, “The opening act is joining us there and staying with us through the whole tour, plus we’ll have a local opener to open for them.”

“We’re big enough for two opening acts?” Isaac asked, he and Stiles were still playing the game, his eyes glued to the screen.

“Of course you are.” Lydia said before putting her phone down and adding, “They’re a good group, just got a record deal with some indie able out of the Bay Area. I emailed you their LP.”

“What’s their name again? Moon something?” Stiles said, his tongue was poking out of his mouth with concentration. 

“Bad Moon Rising,” Scott said from his spot next to Stiles, “They’re a family band.Three siblings and two cousins.”

“What are their names? I feel like we should know that before we meet them so we don’t look dumb.” Isaac said as the game ended with him beating Stiles.He tossed his controller down and stretched his legs into Stiles lap. 

“Derek, Cora, and Laura Hale, Malia Hale and Erica Reyes.” Lydia said as she tapped on her iPad, pulling up a picture of the group and turning it toward the three boys. 

They were a good looking group, two of the girls looked like twins, long dark hair, thick, but artfully done eyebrows, bright green eyes, strong jaws and cheekbones.One girl had short that was dyed purple, her eyes were light brown, her skin fair with equally great eyebrows.The last girl was a blonde bombshell with big brown eyes, rosy cheeks and alabaster skin, her lips painted bright red.The guy looked a lot like the first two girls, dark hair, thick eyebrows, bright green, brown, blue, gray eyes, artful stubble and great cheekbones. 

“Damn, what the hell is in the water where they’re from?” Stiles said as his eyes raked over the picture. 

“I don’t know, but I’d like some of it,” Isaac said with a smirk.Stiles rolled his eyes and ruffled Isaacs dirty blonde curls as he stood up. 

“No sleeping with the talent,” Lydia said sharply, her eyes narrowing at Stiles and Isaac. 

“Don’t look at me,” Stiles said, raising his hands in defense, “I only slept with a makeup artist and she was only there for our show at Madison Square Garden. 

“I may have slept with a lot of the talent on the last tour.” Isaac said with a shrug and a laugh, “It’s not my fault all the ladies want this.”

Stiles shoved him and they both laughed. “Guys, you should really try to find love, it’s great.” Scott said from his spot on the floor where he was FaceTiming with Kira. 

“Fuck off McCall,” They said in unison and laughed. 

——————

They arrived at the Hyatt in downtown San Francisco at 10 AM, piling out of the bus and stretching.“Be back down here at noon, we’re doing lunch with Bad Moon Rising and I want you guys to check out the venue before the show tomorrow night.” Lydia said as she handed them all room keys at the front desk.“You’ll notice you’ve got your own rooms today, if I hear that you’re partying too hard or fucking fans at the hotel after concerts I’ll be more than happy to double you up.”

They all headed to their rooms on the 19th floor, Stiles dumped his small travel bag, most of his clothes were on another bus entirely.He pulled out his running shoes, shorts and a cut off tee shirt and headed down to the lobby where Boyd, their head of security was waiting for him.“Shall we?” He asked and Boyd nodded before they hit the pavement outside, running down the streets of the city, up and down hills and through neighborhoods.

By the time they got back Lydia was already in the lobby with Scott and four members of Bad Moon Rising.“Really Stiles?” She asked, clucking her tongue at him in disapproval. 

“We’ve been cooped up on the bus since last night Lyds, I needed to burn some energy.” He said with a shrug as Boyd tossed him a towel.“I’ll go change and be right back.”  
“Don’t you dare,” Lydia said as the last member of BMR walked over followed by Isaac, who looked like he had just woken up. “Well, now that you’re all here, we rented out the back room of the hotel restaurant, come this way.”

They all sat down around a large round table in a private room, Boyd and Liam, another security team member, stood at the doors.Stiles felt Derek’s eyes on him as he sat down, suddenly remembering that he was wearing a cutoff shirt and running shorts and feeling exposed.“Do you guys always have security with you?” One of the girls asked, if Stiles had to guess he’d say it was Cora or Laura since they looked crazy similar.The comment distracted him from feeling uncomfortable. 

“Not all the time, but always on tour,” Lydia explained as she took her own seat.“We’ve all met, but in case you don’t remember, I’m Lydia Martin, the manager for Hearts of Darkness.This is Stiles Stilinksi, he’s the lead singer, Isaac Lahey, backup vocals and lead guitarist, and Scott McCall the drummer.”

The door opened again and a man walked in, he had broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes and neatly parted brown hair.“Sorry I’m late, I’m Peter Hale the manager for Bad Moon Rising.”He shook Lydia’s hand, her eyes narrowed at him.It was a look that Stiles had been graced with once and the memory alone made him shudder.It was not a good look to get from Lydia. 

“Peter, we told you not to come,” Cora/Laura said with a stern look at her father/uncle/brother?

“I wouldn’t miss this,” He said as he pulled up a chair and settled in next to Lydia.“So this is Bad Moon Rising. You have Cora our bassist, Laura our back up vocals and keyboardist, my daughter Malia is the drummer, Erica is the lead singer and Derek is the lead guitarist.”

Stiles leaned over to Isaac and whispered so only Isaac could hear, “Creepy uncle alert bro.”

“Right?” Isaac whispered back, shuddering a little.Lydia shot them a stern look and the both turned back toward the table. 

“I just wanted to get the two groups aquatinted since they’ll be spending the next eight months together,” Lydia said, sounding annoyed and bored at the same time. 

“It’s awesome that you guys are joining us!” Scott said, his brown eyes alight, “It’ll be great to have the same group with us the whole time, our last world tour we ended up with some European band we didn’t know when we toured over there.”

“We’re really excited,” Erica said, flipping her long blonde curls over her shoulder and turning away from her uncle, “We played Sasquatch Fest last month and a regional tour and then got the call from Lydia about opening for you guys.I can’t believe we’re opening for fucking Hearts of Darkness. _Round Dos_ was the anthem to my freshman year of college.”

_Round Dos_ was their second album, their first album to get a lot of commercial success. _Here for the Party_ had gotten a lot of critical acclaim but didn’t reach commercial success until the second album exploded.That was around two years ago, they just put out their third album _Into the Offing_ in June, the tour was to accompany it. 

The rest of lunch passed with ease, Stiles fucking loved the Hale/Reyes crew.He and Cora got into an argument about Fall Out Boy’s revival, Laura gave him some of her fries, Malia hated the Yankees, Derek didn’t talk much, but when he did it was dripping in sarcasm, a language that Stiles spoke fluently. 

When he got to his room, he went to YouTube and found one of their songs.He found himself nodding his head to the tune, it was catchy, Erica’s voice was amazing with a huge range, the song itself had a great rock/pop sound and the lyrics were good too.He spent the next hour listening to some of their songs before he slipped into a hot shower.

He found his thoughts drifting to the snarky comments from Derek as he soaped his hair, then he pictured Derek in the shower with him, his strong arms coming up behind him and wrapping around his waist.Without thinking about it, he wrapped his fingers around his cock, stroking and imagining it was Derek.He came with a grunt and it washed down the drain.Whatever, Derek was hot, it had nothing to do with how funny he was or how his hands looked in the video of him playing guitar.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have 2 other chapters written and at least 2 more outlined for this. EEEP

**_August 2015_ **

“We’re live this morning with Stiles Stilinski, Scott McCall, and Isaac Lahey, better known as Hearts of Darkness.Thanks for joining us today guys.” the DJ from some morning radio show said with a grin on his face even though no one but the band could see him.

**SM** : It’s great to be here! We haven’t been through SanFran in too long,  
 **SS** : Yeah, I think that last time we were here was for the last tour like 2 years ago.   
**DJ** : But you guys had been here before that right? You grew up just a few hours north of our fine city.  
**IL** : Yeah, we grew up in Beacon Hills, which is only like 2 hours northwest.I think the first time we ever came to San Francisco was when we were like 8 or 9 and it was for a Giants game.   
**SM** : Dude! It totally was.Our dad’s brought us down with all our siblings.  
**SS** : Wait! That was the time that Micha, that’s my little brother, ate like 6 hot dogs and puke out the window the whole ride home.  
**DJ** : So you guys really did grow up together? Sometimes I think we get stories like that just to hype up a band.  
**IL** : No, we did, our mom’s were really good friends during their pregnancies and stayed close after.  
**SM** : Yeah, my little sister Anna and Stiles’ little brother Micha are the same age too so we’re all really close.   
**SS** : Yeahm but poor Natalia, that’s my younger sister, has no one her age.She’s the baby of the whole group.  
**IL** : Camden doesn’t have anyone his age either.He’s four years older than us.  
 **SM** : He got stuck babysitting.  
 **DJ** : You’ve written about your siblings in your songs, how do they feel about that?  
**SS** : My brother loves it, he’s a sophomore in college this year and he brags to all his friends that his big brother’s famous.Nat doesn’t mind, but she made a rule that I have to tell her about it before the albums come out so she can prepare.   
**IL** : Cam is kind of indifferent now, but while he was over in Iraq, he was in the Army until last year, he liked to listen to it, he said it reminded him that I was thinking about him.  
 **SM** : Anna says it’s embarrassing and then get’s mad when I can’t introduce her to ‘cooler bands’  
 **DJ** : Sounds like a tough critic.  Your latest album, _Into the Offing_ , has received critical acclaim, there’s a lot of talk about another Grammy nomination, what do you think about that?  
 **SS** : We’d be totally honored.  
 **IL** : Honestly, we’re just three 23 year old dudes who love making music together and getting to travel around the world doing what we love.  
 **SM** : Anytime we get recognized for it is just a cherry on top, we really do it for the fans and because we love it.   
 **DJ** : That’s all the time we have with Hearts of Darkness, we’ll send them off with their newest single, [House of Gold](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDyxykpYeu8%20).

“Do we have interviews in every city?” Stiles asked as they climbed into the black SUV that Boyd was driving.“Because I really don’t think we’re interesting enough to have that many interviews, especially after spending two solid months doing nothing but that.”  
  
“You’re not,” Lydia said, she was tapping away on her iPhone. “But you still have interviews in most cities.It’ll be a lot of repeat questions, probably about the album and tour plus the usual personal garbage.”

“Excuse you, Lydia,” Isaac said with a smirk, “Our personal stuff is pure gold.”

“Ah yes, the ladies just love it,” Lydia said without looking up.“We’re going straight to the venue for sound check, then we’ll eat something, then you’ve got a few hours to hang out before the show.We’re hitting the road right after.”

They got to the venue, the arena where the Golden State Warriors play, at the same time as the Hale crew pulled up in their tour bus.Stiles smiled at the group and they all walked in together.“Holy shit,” Derek muttered under his breath as they walked onto the stage, it was a huge, 20,000 seat arena and the show was sold out. 

“Don’t worry, you can only really see the first couple thousand people.” Stiles whispered to him as they all looked out into the empty seats.“I almost peed my pants the first time we played a show this big.”

Derek gave him a half smile before Lydia was ushering Stiles, Scott and Isaac backstage so BMR could do sound check.Erica’s voice was even better live, powerful and kind of sexy.He watched from stage right as Derek’s hands moved over the guitar strings with ease.Damn that was even sexier than Erica’s voice. 

“Eyes off his ass Stilinski,” Isaac muttered to him and Stiles blushed.“Your folks are coming tonight, right?”

“Yep, mom, dad and Nat will be here, they’re driving down with your mom and Cam.I think Mama McCall is squeezing in with them too.”Stiles said as they watched the other band play. 

Isaac nodded his head in acknowledgement.Sometimes Stiles felt guilty because his family was the only one of their trio to survive the years, even if they had almost lost his mom around ten years back.  Mr. McCall had bolted when they were 11 and Isaac’s dad was in prison because he beat Isaac and his mom, but he also knew that his dad thought of Isaac and Scott as his third and fourth sons and they saw John Stilinski as a father figure. 

“You’re up,” Lydia said, kicking Stiles in the butt from where she sat on an unused speaker.“Don’t fuck up.”

“Gosh Lydia, you’re just the best manager a guy could ask for, so supportive,” Stiles simpered, his voice dripping in sarcasm.He saw Derek quirk a smirk as he walked passed him.He tried to ignore the flutter in his stomach. 

Sound check went smoothly and they all plopped down in the green room with pizza when Lydia brought their families back.It had been a few months since they had seen them with the album coming out and promotion for it.Stiles jumped up, dropping his pizza onto his plate and hugged Nat tightly, picking her up and swinging her around. “Missed you bro.”

“You have no idea Nat,” He said, pulling away to hug his mom and dad.“I’m so glad everyone made it!”

“Seriously,” Isaac said from where he was trapped under Camden’s arm.For as tall as Isaac was at 6’4”, Cam was taller and more muscular.“Let me go dude!”

There was a knock on the door and Cora Hale poked her head in, “We’re going to grab some tacos if you guys want to join.”She saw the crowd of people and said, “Never mind it looks like a family reunion here.”

“Next time!” Scott said with a lopsided grin and her.He was resting his chin on his mom’s shoulder.Ms. McCall was a little lonely since Anna left for college the year before.She had always been a huggy person and was even more so now.  Whenever she saw the boys she would hug them for all she was worth.  There was nothing quite like a mama McCall hug.

“Have you started thinking about college Nat?” Isaac asked once they were all sitting around the table with pizza in their bellies. 

“She’s only a junior, no college talk yet.  She has to stay a baby forever." Stiles said, slapping Isaac on the hand and everyone laughed.

“I’m thinking about UCLA since they have a great film program or NYU for the same reason.” Nat said, giving her brother the stink eye and taking a bite of his pizza. “I actually wanted to ask you guys if maybe I could come on tour for a couple weeks over Christmas to do a mini documentary for a part of my applications.”

“Hell yeah!” Scott said, Isaac and Stiles both nodded with grins on their faces.  Nat was a really talented filmmaker, for her 16th birthday in March Stiles had gotten her a nice camera and she always sent him her newest projects.

“We'll have to check with Lyds to make sure it’s okay, but the offer I made when I first left still stands, you’re always welcome to come visit and hang out on tour as long as it doesn’t effect school.” Stiles said squeezing Nat to his side, "and as long as mom and dad approve, of course."

They caught up for another few hours before Lydia came to take them to their seats, they had special VIP seating in front of the barriers off to the side.The arena was starting to fill when the local opening act, a girl named Braeden Marshall went on.She was good, Stiles could totally see her getting big one day with her raspy voice and I could did your ass with one hand attitude. 

“Break a leg out there!” Stiles said to BMR as they walked on stage.Derek shot him a smile over his shoulder and Cora gave him a thumbs up.He usually didn’t watch the opening act, not that he didn't like the bands that opened for them, but usually he was trying to get into the zone, not tonight though, tonight his family was here, it was the start of their second world tour and he was ready. 

They went on almost an hour later, he could feel the adrenaline pumping through him as he dashed on to stage, the crowd went wild.He saw BMR sliding into the little VIP area to watch.“Hello San Francisco, it has been far too long since we last saw you.” Stiles said into the mic, his voice full of energy.“How great was Bad Moon Rising?”The answering yell he got was exactly what he expected.“I guess I should get this show on the road, huh guys?”

Isaac laughed and said, “Yeahm get a move on Stilinski.” As he started strumming the opening chords to their first song.

Stiles didn’t need his ukelele for this one so he held his mic stand with one hand and sang, then rapped, then sang again.The show went almost perfectly, by the time they went back for the encore Stiles was practically vibrating with energy.“Thank you San Francisco, we love you! Goodnight!”

He jogged off stage and was greeted by his family again. “Heading out?” He asked as he tried to wipe the sweat off his face with his just as sweaty shirt.

“Yeah, we’ve got a two hour drive ahead of us,” John Stilinski said with a smile at his son before he hugged him.“We miss you kiddo.”

“I miss you too dad,” Stiles said and then hugged his mom and his sister. He slapped Cam on the back before Cam pulled him into a hug, then hugged Ms. Lahey and Ms. McCall. “Drive safe!”  
  
“Save travels boys,” Ms. McCall said as the group walked out of the arena toward the parking garage. 

“Come on, we’ve got to get on the road to Portland,” Lydia said, guiding them outside to the bus.There were screaming fans lined up behind barriers, they signed some autographs and posed for a few pictures before getting on the bus. 

“Dibs on first shower!” Stiles said with glee as he peeled his shirt off his body and ran toward the small shower stall.Showering on the bus was terrible, the water pressure sucked, the stall was tiny and they had a rule that showers couldn’t be longer than 5 minutes each.He rushed through it, trying to get the feeling of sweat off his body before toweling off and collapsing onto his bunk with the towel around his waist. 

He felt his eyes slipping shut as he watched Bob’s Burgers on his iPad and then next thing he knew the curtain on his bunk was being pulled back.“Lydia says get up,” Scott said, his hair was sleep messed and he was scratching his stomach. 

“Fuck off,” Stiles said with a groan.He rolled over exposing his ass to Scott. “I was having the best dream.”

“I saw,” Scott said, half laughing, half gagging.

“That’s a natural reaction for a dude to have to a sex dream Scott,” Stiles said as he palmed his erection.He had been dreaming about bending Derek Hale over a drum and fucking him. 

“I don’t think we’re at the level where I can hear that kind of shit and have it not be weird,” Stiles heard a female voice say.It was either Cora or Laura, they sounded almost as similar as they looked.

“Guys, I’m super naked.” Stiles said, his towel had fallen off his bunk during the night.Isaac threw a pair of basketball shorts to him and he tugged them on before getting out of his bunk.“Sorry about that.” He ran a hand through his hair, it was probably wild already anyways.It was Laura who had spoken. “We’re about to get some breakfast at some diner that one of the roadies knows, you guys want to come?”

“Fuck yesssss,” Stiles hissed, grabbing a random shirt and pulling it on.It was a little tighter than he usually wore his which lead him to believe that it was Scott’s since he had a good three inches and broader shoulders than him. 

Two of the three busses for the tour were parked outside a diner, the crew bus was probably already at the venue.The show wasn't until the next night, but there was a ton to get done before then.Stiles saw Cora, Laura, Erica and Malia standing outside the bus as he, Scott and Isaac walked up to them.“Derek coming?” Scott asked and Stiles was glad he didn't have to ask, he didn’t want to be obvious about his attrition to the only male member of the other band, especially since he didn’t know if Derek even liked guys. 

“He’s coming, he’s terrible in the mornings.” Cora explained, she was wearing running shoes and looked like she had just gotten back from working out. Malia was wearing the same as Cora but Laura and Erica were both in sweats and messy buns. 

A minute later Derek came stumbling out of the bus, his hair flat on one side, his shirt riding up to expose his happy tail.Stiles wanted to lick him.“Morning sunshine,” Cora said as she hit her brother. 

“Fuck off.” Derek mumbled.

“You sound just like Stiles every morning,” Isaac said cheerfully, he was a morning person, which in Stiles opinion was the worst kind of person. “I swear that’s always the first thing he says every time we wake him up.”

They all saw around a large table, Lydia, Boyd, and Liam at another table next to them.“I have to ask, who’s older?” Scott asked as the waitress brought them coffee and menus.

“I am,” Laura said, “Erica and I are both 25, then Derek’s 23, Malia is 22 and Cora’s the baby, she’s only 20.” 

“When’s the big 2-1?” Isaac asked her with a smile.Stiles knew that smile, Isaac was flirting with Cora.He had to turn his laugh into a cough.Isaac kicked him under the table and he laugh/coughed again.

“October 23rd,” Cora said, flashing him a small smile, “I expect a party that will rival Derek’s 21st.”

“There’s a story there,” Stiles said, finally coming to life with the coffee entering his system.“Story time, please.”

"No story," Derek mumbled into his cup, Stiles could see the tips of his ears turning red. 

“I’ll get it out of you one day Hale,” Stiles said, shooting him a smirk that he reserved for flirting.Okay, so he was totally flirting.He could feel Scott and Isaac watching him, the other group might not know Stiles’ flirting style yet but those two sure did. 

“I’d like to see you try,” Derek shot back, a faint smile played across his lips. 

Malia rolled her eyes and Erica said, “Oh look, the food.”With that, everyone fell silent, eating and sipping coffee.

“Alright, chop chop children,” Lydia said when they finished, “We’ve got to get checked into the hotel.Bad Moon, you guys have an interview with a local college station, Hearts you’ve got one with the local Top 40 station.I know you hate Top 40, deal with it, you’re Top 40 now. You’re changing the face of music, whatever, we’re running late.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Derek just can't handle being on a bus of all women so he stays on Stiles'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Some recreational drug use

**September 2015**

****Tours always end up turning into a blur, a different city every day, get on the bus and go to the next one.Stiles loves it, but sometimes he wants time to slow down.They played 10 days in a row between Portland and Denver.“We’ve got tomorrow off,” Lydia yelled into the bathroom at the venue in Denver, “So the sooner you’re done showering the sooner we can get on the road. It’s 13 hours to Phoenix.”

Denver had been hard for Scott since he had barely had time with his little sister at lunch, but that was life on the road.Anna had come to the show with a bunch of her friends and came back stage after to say goodbye which was all that they could ask for.They hot boxed the bathroom that night, trying to help Scott relax.

They climbed onto the bus and the door was about to shut when Derek jogged up to them, “Mind if I ride with you guys tonight? They’re all, uh, it’s that time of the month on my bus and I honestly can’t deal with another night of chick flicks.”

“Dude come aboard,” Stiles said, flashing him his best smile, hoping his eyes weren’t looking too bloodshot, “Lyds, Derek is riding with us tonight.”

“I’m riding on the other bus,” She said, throwing her purse over her shoulder and leaving them.“I’ll see you in the morning, if anyone fucks anything up over here I’ll have your balls.”

“She’s probably the most terrifying woman I’ve ever met, and I live with Laura, Cora, Erica, and Malia.” Derek said with a shudder as he flopped onto the couch.

“Did your family have a thing with names ending in ‘A’” Stiles asked, he could hear Scott FaceTiming with Kira and Isaac watching TV, probably catching up on Game of Thrones.Stiles shut the divider between the living room and the bunk area before flopping down on the couch next to Derek.

“Something like that,” Derek laughed, “So you guys have been friends forever?”

“Yeah, since we were in the womb,” Stiles said with a laugh, “and here we are almost 24 years later.”

“How’d you guys get into music?” Derek asked him, it was a comfortable question.The conversation didn’t feel forced. 

“My mom wanted me to have something to do with my hands that wasn’t loud so she got me a ukelele when I was a kid, Isaac is a copycat so he got a guitar and Scott just likes to be loud, even if he says he doesn’t.” Stiles said with a laugh, “Then his high school girlfriend dumped him junior year and he started writing super sappy poems that turned into lyrics.We started doing covers and putting them on YouTube and the next thing we knew we were getting flown out to New York to meet with Fueled By Ramen.”

“Is it embarrassing to admit that I’ve watched the covers? I’ve loved you guys since 2009.” Derek said, his ears turning red again. 

“Are you a total fan girl Derek?” Stiles asked with his flirty smirk.He suddenly noticed how close together they were on the couch. “I don’t mind, it’s nice to know we haven’t scared away our original fan base by getting played on Top 40 stations.”

“I mean once you get passed the fact that they play your songs right after Justin Bieber it’s pretty cool,” Derek said, giving him one of his small smiles that Stiles has learned are shy.Derek’s pretty shy, but once you get him talking his funny as shit and a ton of fun to be around.Stiles’ crush has totally grown.They were closer now than they had been a minute before and Stiles wasn’t sure who had moved, but he didn’t think it was all him.

“Who are you talking to,” Scott asked, walking into the living room with his phone in his hand, facing him.“Oh hey Derek.Have you met my fiancée, Kira?Kira this is Derek.”Scott flipped the phone around to show Derek Kira’s smiling face.She waved into the camera and Derek waved back.

“I’m going to make some popcorn, you guys want some?” Scott asked, he grabbed a bag of microwave popcorn out of a cabinet and tossed it into the microwave.Popcorn was Scott’s go to high snack.

“I’m good, thanks man,” Stiles said as he leaned back on the couch, noticing the gap between him and Derek had grown by nearly a foot.

“No thanks,” Derek said with a quirk of his lips.“So what do you guys do on your bus for fun?”

Stiles flicked the TV on and tossed Derek a controller, “How do you feel about Mario Cart?”

An hour later, Stiles was laying across Derek’s lap trying to distract him from the race on the screen.He hadn’t won one yet, apparently Derek was a heretofore unknown Mario Cart genius.Stiles flopped around, jostling the controller.His shirt was riding up to reveal his torso, but he didn’t care, he needed to win this round.He wasn’t high anymore and he was sure that was the reason he hadn’t won yet (it wasn’t).

In the last seconds of the race he managed to pull ahead.“VICTORY!” Stiles shouted, jumping off the couch. “Kicked your ass!”

“You barely won, and you cheated.” Derek said, his ears burning red and his controller in his lap the same way Stiles had used his several times to hide boners. “So this is a typical night for you guys?”  
  
“Scott’s been talking to Kira more lately since she’s going on location to film a movie in a week and she’ll have limited access to wifi and Isaac is being a brat,” Stiles yelled brat so Isaac could hear him, “Since he lost movie picking privileges for a month after the Benjamin Button incident.”

“Do I want to know?” Derek asked with a laugh.

“Probably not.” Stiles said with a shrug.He grabbed two beers from the mini fridge and handed one to Derek who popped the top.“What’s a typical night on your bus?”

“Movies, board games, song writing, talking, it’s typical, but they’re all my relatives and I don’t want to hear about their sex lives so most nights I end up in my bunk with headphones on.” Derek said with a shudder. “Honestly, I think they forget I’m a guy sometimes, I had to hear in detail about Cora losing her virginity since we were in the car and I couldn’t escape.”

“If Nat tried to tell me about, that I’d find the guy and cut his dick off.Or girl, whatever floats her boat.” Stiles said with a frown, understanding why Derek wouldn’t want to hear about his sisters’ sex lives.

“So tell me about yourself,” Derek said with a laugh, “I feel like we’re always in a huge group and I don’t know anything real about you.”

“What, like a deep, dark secret?” Stiles said, he was laying on the floor of the bus, he could feel every bump in the road as they drove.“Something shitty that happened in my life that defined me?”

“Sure,” Derek said, then he took a swig of his beer.

“When I was 13 my mom had ovarian cancer, it was pretty fucking terrible and I’m the oldest so I felt like I had to be so strong for everyone. I felt like I was trying to hold everyone together, Micha and Nat were both too young to get what was happening but they knew something was wrong.I felt like I was ripping at the edges to keep everyone else together.” Stiles said, “I think I’m like that a lot, I try to help everyone else before I worry about myself, sometimes I wonder if I do anything because I want to or if it’s because someone else wants it.”

“Wow, that’s rough man,” Derek said with a frown. It was adorable.“When I was in high school, I started dating this girl and she was awesome, funny and didn’t put up with any of my macho posturing.We were out on a date and this was before either of us could drive so her mom picked us up and after she dropped me off they were hit head on my a drunk driver.She died on impact.”

“Shit,” Stiles said, reaching out and squeezing Derek’s ankle from his spot on the floor. 

“Lighter topic then?” Derek asked with a laugh that didn’t reach his eyes.“Favorite food?”

“Curly fries.” Stiles grinned.“They’re the best fry and the best food.I will fight anyone who disagrees.”

“I’m a taco guy myself,” Derek said with a smile, “But I respect the curly fry.What’s your favorite color?”

“Hmm, blue, I wear a lot of it, my mom always said blue was calming so she made me wear it when I was spazzing out, I guess it stuck.” Stiles said with a small smile.“What about you?”

“Red I think,” Derek said with a shrug. 

“Favorite sport?” Stiles asked.

“Baseball, I played for 13 years.” Derek said with a smile, “It’s the best.”

“Ahh, that’s another place where we differ again good sir, I’m a lacrosse guy myself.” Stiles said with a wide grin, “First line for three years in high school.Me and Isaac both were, Scott finally made it senior year after he stopped fawning over Allison.” 

“Allison?” Derek asked, he was stretched out on the couch now, half drunk beer in his hand. 

“His first girlfriend.She’s the topic of many a song he wrote that didn’t make our album.” Stiles said, taking a drink of his own beer and yawning, “What about you guys, do you all write?”

“Usually it’s Erica, Malia, and me on lyrics, Laura and Cora are better with instrumental stuff.” Derek explained, “But I guess I do both, I wrote most of the guitar stuff we have.”

“I’ve been listening to your EP nonstop, it’s a little embarrassing how into it, I am.” Stiles said with a shameless grin. _Trouble_ has become my new shower song, Isaac and Scott are sick of it already.”

Derek offered him a small, private smile.“Should I crash on the couch?”

“Dude, no way, we’ve got a spare bunk.” Stiles said and lead Derek toward it, “You’ll be under me.”

Derek’s ears burned pink again, “Cool, alright, cool.” 

“Uh fuck, I didn’t mean,” Stiles stumbled over his words in a way he hadn’t in years, not since his crush on Danny in high school.“I meant I’ll be on top of you.No, not that, fuck.You’re the bottom bunk.That still sounds dirty.I’m just going to hide up here now.”

“Goodnight Stiles,” Derek said, his voice full of mirth as he spoke.“Thanks for letting me crash here tonight.”

The next morning Stiles woke with a groan as usual, his body aching from sleeping on his left side for too long, his head pounding probably from dehydration and he needed his adderall.He rolled out of his bunk and wandered into the kitchen/living room area.Scott and Derek were sitting at the table, coffee between them. “Morning!” Scott said with a lopsided grin.

“Fuck off,” Stiles mumbled as he grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down before taking a sip of Scott’s coffee.“Have you seen my-?” He stopped speaking when Scott pointed at the counter.“Thanks man, what would I do without you.”

Stiles grabbed the little blue coated pill and a muffin before sliding into the booth next to Scott.“You’d think that after 5 years on this bus you’d know where you keep your adderall.” Scott said with a chuckle.Fucking morning people are the worst.

“Again I say, fuck off.” Stiles said, his voice still rough with sleep.He saw Derek’s lips quirk up in a small smile at the comment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life on tour can get a little crazy somtimes, it's nice to have friends you can get crazy with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So most of the songs by 'Bad Moon Rising' are Halsey songs since she's a perfect human and I love her. Colors is used in this chapter - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNt28Tx-cw0
> 
> Most of the songs by 'Hearts of Darkness' are twenty one pilots songs because I'm obessed with them and seeing them this summer. This chapter features Stressed Out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY 
> 
> The lyrics are in italics and I do not own them at all, they are far better then anything I could ever write. 
> 
> WARNING: There's drinking in this chapter, not sure if that bothers anyone but I'd ratehr be safe then sorry.

**October 2015**

“Stiles!” Erica yelled from across the parking lot.They were on an eight day run in Texas and had rolled into Houston that morning, Stiles was just getting off the bus for the first time since waking up, still a little groggy as he waited for his coffee to kick in..“Can you listen to this new song we’re working on?”

“Sure!” He said with a grin, running his hand through his sleep mussed hair. They had been getting along great with the entire band, they had jammed the day before in Stiles and Isaac’s living space in their hotel room in Albuquerque.He followed her onto their bus.They had a makeshift studio set up in their living room where Laura, Cora, Malia and Derek were sitting.“Ready guys?”

They all nodded and Erica started[singing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNt28Tx-cw0).Stiles eyes found Derek while she crooned and his heart skipped a beat as Derek’s fingers picked the strings.   


_Your little brother never tells you but he loves you so  
_ _You said your mother only smiled on her TV show  
_ _You're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope  
_ _I hope you make it to the day you're 28 years old_

_You're dripping like a saturated sunrise  
_ _You're spilling like an overflowing sink  
_ _You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece  
_ _And now you're tearing through the pages and the ink_

Stiles kept bobbing his head along to the song, but his stomach clenched at the verse.  It was probably just a coincidence that the line was something he and Derek had just talked about last week.

_Everything is blue  
_ _His pills, his hands, his jeans  
_ _And now I'm covered in the colors  
_ _Pulled apart at the seams  
_ _And it's blue_

He felt his heart pounding in his chest, it could still be a coincidence, just because he had told Derek didn’t mean the song was about him or inspired by parts of him. 

_Everything is grey  
_ _His hair, his smoke, his dreams  
And now he's so devoid of color  
_ _He don't know what it means  
_ _And he's blue_

_You were a vision in the morning when the light came through  
_ _I know I've only felt religion when I've lied with you  
_ _You said you'll never be forgiven 'til your boys are too  
_ _And I'm still waking every morning but it's not with you_

 

Erica stopped singing and looked expectantly at Stiles whose eyes were on Derek.“That’s awesome.You guys wrote the lyrics?” 

“Derek and Malia wrote that one.  That wasn't the whole song, we're still working on the instrumentals for the bridge,” Cora piped up.“It’s great though, right?”

“Really fucking great,” Stiles said, trying to sound excited and managing but just barely, “It might top _Trouble_ as my favorite BMR song.” They all beamed at him, Derek flushed red.“But now I have to go work on songs, I can’t let you guys write all the good ones.” 

He ducked off the bus, his head reeling.That song was a little bit about him if Derek’s reaction meant anything, about his favorite color being blue, his pills are blue, about being ripped at every edge, but Derek though he was still a masterpiece.“Dudes!” He called when he found Isaac and Scott hanging out and tossing a lacrosse ball between them. “Why didn’t you tell me we were laxing?”He ducked under the bus and grabbed his crosse before joining them.

“I miss Kira,” Scott said, his voice nearly a whine. “We’ve only talked once since she got on location.”

“Yeah, but once she’s done filming next month she’s coming on tour with us for a month,” Isaac reminded him as he tossed the ball to Stiles.“And then we’re going to have to deal with you guys having non stop sex and being the perfect couple all the time.”

“Bitter,” Stiles coughed out and Scott laughed.“Come on Lahey, you’ll find someone to have sex with you more than once eventually.” 

“Why am I friends with you two?” He groaned, Stiles and Scott loved to make fun of Isaac for his terrible relationship history, it was a highly entertaining pass time. 

“Because you lo-oove us,” Stiles singsonged at him, “Anyone else want to go exploring Huston? We’re here for three days right?”

“Hell yeah!” Isaac said, “Let’s make sure Lydia doesn’t have a booked on some radio show and then go exploring all the bars.”

“We could go see the historic downtown area,” Scott suggested and both Stiles and Isaac rolled their eyes.“Or we could go drinking.”

“Good idea Scotty!” Stiles said with glee, he wanted to distract himself from the song he had just heard, especially since whenever he and Derek were alone together, which was happening more and more often since he had taken to crashing on their bus a few nights a week, he and Derek would have these deep conversations, drink a few beers and smoke a blunt then ended up nearly on top of each other but never talking about it. 

“Bring BMR with you,” Lydia said with a wave of her hand, “And Liam.I need Boyd here to get everything set up for the meet and greet tomorrow.”

“Cora you can’t come,” Derek said when they invited the other band, “I don’t feel like dealing with trying to get you in with your shitty ass fake ID.”

“Whatever, I’ll just go hang out with Lydia and Boyd,” Cora said, skipping off the bus toward the venue where Lydia and Boyd were sitting under a tent. 

An hour later they were all crammed into a large black SUV, Liam driving them to a bar that Laura had found on Yelp called Poison Girl.“It says they have weekly poetry readings and a huge selection of local craft beers." She said as they got off the highway and Liam followed the GPS directions.

“Sounds like your kind of place Scotty,” Stiles said with a shit eating grin toward his best friend. “I bet we could find some of your stuff from high school and really give everyone a show.”

“It’s 1 PM on a Tuesday, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be the only people there,” Malia said with an exaggerated eye roll that Stiles had learned was a Hale specialty. “So we should just get drunk.”

“I can get on board with that as long as we can stop for food on the way home,” Stiles said with a grin.He was crammed in the very back of the SUV with Isaac and Scott, Scott talk on both of their laps.“Also, I could get on board with getting out of this car, Scott’s ass in boney as fuck.”

“You know all about boning asses don’t you Stilinski,” Isaac said with a laugh. 

“As a matter of fact, I do, why are you interested in a test run?” Stiles shot back. All three guys in the back laughed while Laura and Malia exchanged entertained glances. 

“You guys really aren’t what we were expecting,” Laura said, twisting around to face them.“We thought you were going to be like totally punk guys who were too good to hang out with us and instead you’re total losers who play lacrosse in the parking lot and smoke week on the bus.”

“We don’t smoke that much weed,” Isaac countered with a cheeky grin. 

“Bullshit,” Erica retorted, her long blonde curls flying over her shoulder as she turned around.“Every time Derek crashes on your bus, he comes back reeking of weed. Why are we never invited to the party?”

“There’s only one spare bunk,” Scott said with a shrug, “But you guys can come hang out on our bus whenever as long as you don’t mind crashing with Lydia in her fancy room that we’re not allowed in.”

Four hours later found them at a hole in the wall bar a few blocks from the venue, Laura, Isaac, Scott and Erica were shooting darts, Malia was hustling pool, the guy playing with her entranced by the way her bright purple hair moved when she shot, Stiles and Derek were sitting on barstools with pealing vinyl, sipping PBRs.“Never have I ever been in a family band.” Stiles said with a laugh as Derek shot him a dirty look before taking a swig of his beer.

"Never have I ever hidden my name from the public,” Derek said, his face innocent but his eyes dancing with mischief. 

“I don’t hide it, it’s just impossible to pronounce since my parents hate me.They named me after my mom’s dad and it’s so Polish it hurts.” Stiles said but he took a sip of his beer anyways. 

“Your siblings have pretty normal names,” Derek said with another sip of his beer, it wasn’t very good, but they were sitting in a really shitty bar so he didn’t expect it to be.

“Micha was my dad’s dad, still very Polish but much easier to pronounce, Natalia was both of my grandma’s names, but my mom’s mom went by Talia and my dad’s went by Nata.” Stiles explained, “We’re terribly Polish, both of my parents are first generation Americans.”

“That’s pretty sweet,” Derek said with one of his private smiles that Stiles loved so much, “My family came to California during the Gold Rush in the 1800s and never left.” 

“Dude,” Stiles said in wide eyed appreciation, “That’s fucking cool. “They sat in relative silence for a minute, watching Malia kick the guys ass at pool and then Stiles asked, “What’s thebest line for picking people up that you’ve ever heard?”  
  
“One guy came up to me at a bar after a show in Oakland and said, ‘If you want to go to heaven you should fuck me tonight.’” Derek said with a slightly disgusted laugh. “It didn’t work, but we did write it into a song.”

“A girl quoted Taylor Swift at me once,” Stiles said with a laugh, “She said I looked like her next mistake.I told her if she thought sleeping with me was a mistake then she wasn’t my type.”

“I can’t imagine anyone thinking sleeping with you is a mistake,” Derek said with a shrug.He said it casually, but Stiles saw his ears turn pink and he surpressed a smile. 

“Guys, Liam says we have to head back,” Erica said, walking over to them and ruining their moment.She reached passed Derek, grabbed his beer and finished it in one mouthful before patting him affectionally on the shoulder and walking away.

“I’m a little terrified of your family,” Stiles said with a shudder.He stood up from his seat, wobbled a little before Derek slid an arm around Stiles’ waist and helped him.“I think I may have drank more than I originally suspected.”

“At least you’re not Laura,” Derek said, gesturing towards his older sister with his free arm.She was being held up by Scott and Isaac, talking loudly about how she didn’t need their help, she was a grown ass woman who didn’t need a man. 

“True that,” Stiles muttered, “I think Isaac has a crush on Erica.” He added as they stood waiting for Liam.“Why aren’t we walking? It’s like 4 blocks to the venue.”

“We’re at the hotel tonight,” Derek said with a smile that Stiles didn’t see so much as hear. “And I think Erica might have a crush on him too, but she’d eat him alive.”

“Isaac’s tougher than he looks,” Stiles said quietly as Erica, Malia and Scott climbed into the far back, Isaac dumped Laura into the front and climbed in to the car himself.“He can handle himself just fine.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Derek said as they climbed in, Stiles in the middle. He fell asleep on Derek’s shoulder even though the drive to the hotel was only about twenty minutes. Derek gently shook him awake as they pulled into the hotel, helping him out of the car.The sun was starting to set as they walked in to the lobby and found Lydia holding hotel keys. 

“We’re doubling up tonight, Scott and Isaac, Malia and Erica, Cora and Laura, Derek and Stiles.” She said, handing them keys, “The travel team fucked up and didn’t book rooms for BMR so instead of shoving them on the bus we’re sharing.Be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” Stiles grumbled, his head was resting on Derek’s shoulder again, his eyes shut.“Gimme my key so I can order a burger as big as my face and go to sleep forever.”

Lydia slapped the key to his chest and rolled her eyes.She had dealt with Stiles far drunker than this before and she knew the best way to handle him was to get him food, make sure he didn’t puke on himself and leave him alone. “Sorry you have to deal with this,” She said to Derek as he walked passed but he just shrugged and smiled. 

Stiles awoke the next morning feeling better rested than he had since the tour started. After they had eaten dinner, he and Derek had talked until around ten and then both fallen asleep, a combination of the alcohol wearing off and natural wear and tear from the tour.He rolled over and saw that it was only 9, they didn’t have to be at the meet and greet until 1.Staying as quiet as he could he grabbed his lyric book and started writing. 

At a show three nights later in Austin Stiles held the mic in his hand and the mic stand in his other one, “So I know we _just_ put a new album out a few months  ago so you probably haven’t heard it yet.” The answering yells told him they had, he knew they knew it.  it wasn’t cocky it was just that they were that good.

“I’m not sure if you’ve heard our new single, this is [Stress Out](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXRviuL6vMY).” Stiles said into the mic.The beat dropped, drums and guitar kicking in and he started his linesHis favorite part of the song was his rap in the middle.He got really into it, the lines coming out of him. 

_Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young,  
_ _How come I’m never able to identify where it’s coming from,  
_ _I’d make a candle out of it if I ever found it,  
_ _Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I’d probably only sell one,_

_It’d be to my brother, ‘cause we have the same nose,  
_ _Same clothes homegrown a stone’s throw from a creek we used to roam,  
_ _But it would remind us of when nothing really mattered,  
_ _Out of student loans and treehouse homes we all would take the latter._

When the song was over he took a long sip of the bottle of water on the floor of the stage.  Isaac spoke now so Stiles could catch his breath.  “Yo Scotty do you remember when we  all ran away from home and camped out in Stiles’ tree house? Those were the days.” Stiles flashed a smile at both of his best friends and continued with the show.

He glanced over to the right of the stage and saw Derek standing there with a look on his face that Stiles couldn’t quite place, his heavy brows were drawn down, his eyes bright, his lips pulling up at the corners.If he didn’t know any better he’d say Derek looked enamored but Stiles knew Derek didn’t see him like that, if he did he would have made a move already, especially after all the time they’d spent together, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time:
> 
> Cora turns twenty-one in New Orleans, what could go wrong?


End file.
